


Free Eye Exam

by masi



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-05
Updated: 2014-01-05
Packaged: 2018-01-07 12:19:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1119753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masi/pseuds/masi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akashi gives Midorima an eye exam.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Free Eye Exam

Dinner is in fifteen minutes, and since he does not want to look like he has been doing anything but his summer break homework with “my friend from when I attended Teiko, Akashi Seijuurou” in the bedroom, Shintarou pulls away from Akashi and starts tidying himself up. After he has wiped his mouth, he takes his glasses off and starts to clean them with the cloth he keeps on his nightstand. This way, he won’t be able to see Akashi’s face in all of its flushed glory, or the swelling lips, or anything else that will make him want to lean in for another kiss.

He says, to distract himself mostly, “I have an eye exam tomorrow.” He rubs harder at the right lens. Akashi has managed to get some spit on the corner. 

“You had one last year,” Akashi says, moving closer. He puts a hand on Shintarou’s knee. “Are your eyes that bad?”

Shintarou edges away from Akashi and then the bed as he explains, “It is important to have annual eye exams. The optometrist can keep track of the changes in his patient’s vision and adjust the prescription accordingly. He can check for early signs of eye diseases. Preventive health care is important. Akashi, why are you opening my desk drawer?”

“Oh, so you can see me doing that?” Akashi sounds amused.

Shintarou gives up on the smudge. He will have to wash the glasses after Akashi leaves, before bedtime. It is more important to keep an eye on Akashi in the meantime, make sure that he does not find the notebook that contains the research Shintarou has been doing on shogi methods and tactics.

“Really, Akashi, it’s rude to go through-”

“Relax, Shintarou, I am only searching for a sheet of blank paper. I highly doubt I will find any scintillating secrets in here. Here we go. Now, take your glasses off again.” 

Akashi bends over the desk and writes something on a sheet of printer paper with quick flourishes of the pen. It is not like him to be so whimsical. He is probably happy because he was granted permission to dine here tonight.

Shintarou decides to humor him. “I have taken off my glasses,” he says, placing them next to Akashi’s bag on his dresser. “Hurry up with whatever you’re doing though. My mother is going to call in ten minutes.”

“All done.” Akashi walks closer to him and holds the paper up. “Let’s have a preliminary eye exam. Read the first line for me, Shintarou.”

This is ridiculous and also inaccurate because he is allowed to keep his glasses on when he reads the chart in the optometrist’s office, and Shintarou is about to tell Akashi so when he remembers Takao’s unsolicited relationship advice, given just last week while they were supposed to be concentrating on improving their running speed. According to Takao, it is important to act playful with one’s love interest. They are supposed to use fond language with each other too.

Shintarou clears his throat, says, “How nice of you. A free eye exam. I guess the best things in life really are free.”

He cringes. He doesn’t need his glasses to know that Akashi is frowning now, and before he can correct himself, Akashi says, “The best things in life are priceless, not necessarily free. Do not conflate the two terms.”

“Yes, of course, what I meant-”

“Hurry up and read the first line.”

Shintarou reads the first line and then the second. Akashi has rearranged the English alphabet, though not in the order found on the charts in the office of Shintarou’s optometrist. However, it is a pleasure to read his beautiful handwriting, the English letters neat and crisp, almost like they have been typed out. Shintarou stops only when the letters become too blurry, halfway through the third line.

“Very good,” Akashi says, his voice unnecessarily deep. “You’re doing great, Midorima-kun. Let’s try one more line, yes?”

“Yes, Dr. Akashi.”

“That sounded very nice, Shintarou. You should call me that all the time.”

Shintarou feels a little alarmed. It is hard enough dealing with Akashi’s two personalities. The last thing he needs is to find out that Akashi has another, very kinky side, one that gets off on role-playing in private. They will have to talk about this later. Maybe. 

Akashi writes something on another sheet of paper. “Read this line.”

This line is filled with small words, and much to his surprise, Akashi is getting up on the chair, holding the paper up from his new position. “The charts in the optometrist’s office aren’t placed that high, Akashi,” Shintarou says. “Get down. You’re going to ruin the leather.”

“My feet are clean,” Akashi replies. “Please read this line.”

“You know that I can’t see it. Anyway, it’s time for dinner.” 

Right on cue, Mother starts shouting from downstairs. This is followed by the sound of his sister’s footsteps on the stairs. No doubt she is coming up to escort their notable guest down herself.

Shintarou puts his glasses back on. He walks over to Akashi, and before he can rethink what he wants to do, puts his arms around Akashi’s waist and lifts him off the chair. Akashi feels very warm and solid in his arms, not especially heavy, and Shintarou wants to keep him there for a little longer. However, Akashi is already pushing him away, saying something about manhandling. 

“What’s on the paper?” Shintarou asks after he has set Akashi down. He reaches for it. 

Akashi folds the paper in half and then into quarters. He slides it into the back pocket of Shintarou’s pants. “You are not allowed to read it until I’ve gone home,” Akashi says. 

“Why?”

“Promise me.”

Shintarou promises. He can wait two hours. Akashi probably wrote an obscure quote that Shintarou will have to research for the next seven days to find both the author and an acceptable interpretation. Interesting game. They have been doing entertaining things all this year, now that they have all reconciled to various degrees, decided to be friendly rivals instead of ones steeped in anger and bitterness. It is rather nice, speaking to Akashi on the phone for ten minutes every day after school instead of once a weekend or less as they did last year. Finally having him visit the house. Watching him touch the things Shintarou uses every day. Shintarou is glad that he gathered his courage together before the school year started and invited Akashi out for lunch, after which they had kissed for the first time.

Akashi says, just as Shintarou’s sister starts knocking on the door, “We weren’t able to conduct the other exams. I wanted to do the one where I could examine your eyes up close and blow air into them.” 

“Of course you can’t do that one. You need a tonometer to conduct that test.”

Akashi shakes his head, smiling a little. He kisses the corner of Shintarou’s mouth before walking over to the door.

***

Shintarou doesn’t remember the paper until he is changing for bed. He fishes it out of his pants, turns on his desk lamp. 

Akashi has written another line of English letters: **I L O V E Y O U**

A random arrangement, Shintarou thinks, and he is about to crumple the paper up and toss it into the wastebasket when he realizes what he has just read. He flattens the paper out on the desk, stares at the line.

Those letters, black and bold and steady across the white, form a sentiment that many people love to hear spoken out loud. Unnecessary, because actions speak louder than words, but nice nevertheless. He feels a bit weak in the knees. 

But surely Akashi did not write those words for romantic purposes. He only wanted to hear Shintarou saying them out loud, probably for a laugh. Akashi likes to tease him in private sometimes. Or maybe Akashi wants him to research the historical significance of that sentence. Yes, that makes more sense. That was Akashi’s intention when he wrote it. Once they both understand those words, they can properly apply them to their relationship. Shintarou should throw the paper away. He can research the quote just fine without it.

He folds the paper back up and puts it under his pillow.


End file.
